April 30, (THEWILL) – A group of Nigerian lawyers on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest at the United States Embassy in Abuja, calling for the reinstatement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the restoration of democratic governance in Rivers State.
Dressed in black and carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Allow Rivers People to Decide Their Leader” and “Restore Democracy in Rivers State”, the lawyers urged the U.S. government and the international community to intervene in what they described as a constitutional crisis in the state.
Their protest follows the controversial suspension of Governor Fubara, his deputy, and the Rivers State House of Assembly by President Bola Tinubu on March 18 for an initial six-month period. The President also appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas as the administrator of the state in the interim.
The protesting lawyers condemned the suspension as unconstitutional, insisting it amounted to a brazen attempt to erode democratic principles and impose external control over the state’s leadership.
They alleged that the suspension was orchestrated by powerful political forces bent on subverting the will of the people of Rivers State.
The group appealed to international stakeholders to mount pressure on the Nigerian government to reverse the suspension and allow democratic institutions in the state to function independently.
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